Flight 253's Wake-Up Call

Tell the Sept 10 people that the war against radical Islam is far from over.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it was widely asserted at the time, nothing would be the same. What Pearl Harbor had been for our parents and grandparents, 9/11 would be for us: a shattering national wake-up call revealing both the gaping holes in America's homeland security and the reality that we were at war with an implacable enemy whose defeat would require years of sacrifice and resolve.

But it became clear after a while that for many Americans, 9/11 had not marked a break with old ways of thinking. As the near-unanimity of 9/11 receded, Americans divided into what the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes dubbed September 12 people, for whom 9/11 had changed everything, and September 10 people, who believed the terrorist threat was being exaggerated by the Bush administration and who regarded the fight against Islamist extremism as chiefly a matter of law enforcement.

Would that divide have closed if Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had succeeded in blowing up Northwest Airlines flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day? If al-Qaeda, which reportedly trained Abdulmutallab in Yemen and is claiming responsibility for the thwarted attack, had succeeded in carrying out another 9/11, would the short-lived unity and moral clarity of that terrible day in 2001 have returned?

Had Flight 253 ended in the mass-murder the bomb plotters intended, Americans would today be filled with grief and fury. They would also be grappling with some hard lessons -- lessons that in recent years too many had been inclined to dismiss. Among them:

• Terrorism isn't caused by poverty and ignorance. Abdulmutallab came from a wealthy and privileged family, and had studied at one of Britain's top universities. He wasn't trying to kill hundreds of Americans out of socioeconomic despair. Like the 9/11 hijackers and countless other jihadists, Abdulmutallab was motivated by ideological and religious fanaticism. The teachings of militant Islam may seem monstrous to outsiders, but that is no reason to doubt that their adherents genuinely believe them, or that by giving their lives for jihad they hope to change the world.

• The global jihad is real. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was widely derided for initially insisting that Flight 253 wasn't blown up in mid-air because "the system worked" and "the whole process went very smoothly." Far more troubling, however, was her effort to downplay the suggestion that Abdulmutallab's attempted attack was "part of anything larger" -- this even after he had acknowledged his terrorist ties to al-Qaeda. Of course Abdulmutallab is part of something larger: He is part of the global jihad -- the relentless assault by Islamist radicals whose deadly serious goal is the submission of America and the West to Islamic law. If government officials like Napolitano cannot bring themselves to speak plainly about the jihadists' ambitions, how will they ever succeed in crushing them?

• Terrorists can always adapt to new restrictions. After 9/11, knives and sharp metal objects were banned from carry-on luggage, so Richard Reid attempted to detonate a shoe bomb. Thereafter everyone's shoes were checked, so the 2006 Heathrow plotters planned to use liquid-based explosives. Now liquids are strictly limited, so Abdulmutallab smuggled PETN, an explosive powder, in his underwear. There is no physical constraint that determined jihadists cannot find a way to circumvent. Yet US airport security remains obstinately reactive -- focused on intercepting dangerous things, instead of intercepting dangerous people. Unwilling to incorporate ethnic and religious profiling in our air-travel security procedures, we have saddled ourselves with a mediocre security system that inconveniences everyone while protecting no one.

• The Patriot Act was not a reckless overreaction. Security in a post 9/11 world has not come from pressing a "reset button," sending Guantanamo inmates off to Yemen, or refusing to use terms like "war on terrorism." It has come from stepped-up surveillance and stronger intelligence-gathering tools, and from working to pre-empt terror attacks in advance, rather than prosecuting them after the fact. Congress was not out of its mind when it enacted the Patriot Act in 2001, and the Bush administration was not trampling the Constitution when it deployed the expanded powers the law gave it: They were trying to prevent another 9/11 -- and they succeeded.

We came fearfully close to having to re-learn those lessons the hard way last week. Only the failure of Abdulmutallab's explosive to ignite and the bravery of the passenger and flight attendants who rushed him prevented what would have been the bloodiest attack on US soil in more than eight years. The world remains extremely dangerous, and the war against radical Islam is far from over. Flight 253 was another wake-up call. Did the September 10 people hear it?

Visitor Comments: 32

(32)
Annie,
March 15, 2012 9:46 PM

Great article

well written

(31)
Donna Karen Rosenblum,
January 16, 2010 5:09 PM

System working?

I believe that our government officials aren't speaking plainly about the terrorist threat to the public because they want to downplay it. They know exactly in how much danger we really are. They just don't want the public to panic.

(30)
Judy in Atlanta,
January 7, 2010 3:49 PM

Maybe he did ask!

Gary - maybe he did, and the "intelligence" community(or lack thereof) in place at the time had a committee writing the report for him.
At least he headed back to work immediately after completing his visit with the Florida school children and did not play 6 rounds of golf and go to the movies.
I agree with the latest comment - being proactive would be great. But, as the article points out, there are the Sept 10th people. Those who don't feel we should be prepared, and those who were lulled into a false sense of security during the Bush years. Both have the potential to become victims and drag us down with them.
I pray that the Almighty averts the severe decree against our people, the land of Israel, and the United States of America.

(29)
Anonymous,
January 7, 2010 2:37 PM

Sept 10 people

What a blessing it would be if we could be proactive instead of reactive in this war.

(28)
gary katz,
January 6, 2010 3:28 PM

Bush still bears some responsibility

Judy,
Yes, Bush was only president for 8 months, but there was intelligence in place warning of just such an attack. 8 months was enough time for him to have been briefed and to have said, "What are we doing about this?"

(27)
Judy in Atlanta,
January 6, 2010 1:25 PM

One more comment on the aircraft livery

Anonymous #23 is correct, as is Beverly Kurtin.
Delta Air Lines and Northwest have merged into "One Great Airline", and the single operating certificate was approved at the end of December.
In anticipation of the approval and becoming the "new Delta", Delta Air Lines began re-branding locations and repainting Northwest aircraft in the Delta livery.
Although the aircraft involved in the thwarted attack was still operating as Northwest on 12/25/09, it is quite likely that it had already been painted so that the photograph would be correct.
For anyone unaware of the merger, it's understandable this would be confusing.

(26)
Beverly Kurtin,
January 5, 2010 5:38 PM

It WAS a DELTA flight

To anon...don''t just listen to the talking heads; LOOK at the plain that landed. It had Delta written all over it so the picture of Delta is correct.

(25)
Judy in Atlanta,
January 5, 2010 5:26 PM

Yes, we were safer uder Bush

Many of you seem to blame the previous president for 9/11 saying it was "under his watch". He had been president for 8 months. The environment making 9/11 possible was created in the Clinton administration. That was the administration that passed up apprehending Bin Laden.
There were no further attacks during the GWB's presidency after 9/11, and instead there were arrests and plots uncovered. Why? Because the ever-patient, murderer Islamic jihadists were waiting for a weaker America and they've got it. The community organizor's quick action? What action - a speech? Napolitano's mis-speaking? She is clueless and ill-equipped to handle the real world. The bottom line: Al queda trained believers want to kill us. All of us. Jews especially but also everyone else who disagrees with the Koran. There is no longer a penalty for those believers - they aren't treated as terrorists which is bad word in this administration. They are given constitutional rights, a nice warm cell and all the comforts they don't have at home. And if they succeed they think they get their reward in Heaven. What would stop them from further attacks?
In addition, this administration is in the process of creating a terrible environment as a backlash of it's failure: one of hatred and, I believe, one of increased Anti-Semitism.

(24)
Anonymous,
January 5, 2010 2:02 AM

NW

To Even (comment #22): Whether or not that is, indeed, the actual plane, I don't believe the author chooses it, and don't forget that NW and Delta merged! In either case, the point of the article is not that nitty gritty, and my compliments to the author on a well-written article.

(23)
Anonymous,
January 4, 2010 11:32 PM

It *was* Northwest

To No. 22: Somewhat to my surprise, not only newspapers but even television correctly named the airline. Northwest on Dec. 23 still was operating under its own name, with its own FAA operating certificate, as a subsidiary of Delta. Delta, preparing for complete post-merger operation once the FAA approved its applicaton for a single operating permit, has been repainting NWA's aircraft in Delta colors. That single permit was approved Dec. 30 (or maybe Dec. 31), and Northwest Airlines no longer exists.

(22)
Even,
January 4, 2010 10:36 AM

Plane name

The picture you show of the 'so-called' Northwest Airlines is infact Delta Airlines, Clearly! I don't know why they call that photo of the plane as Northwest Airlines.

(21)
Ruth Broch,
January 4, 2010 5:36 AM

Fools

The U.S. is being run today by people with high academic qualifications - and all of them are common sense fools.

(20)
JULIUS ROMANOFF,
January 4, 2010 5:14 AM

A new kind of war is being waged

We are engaged in a war not with an army, but with a religious ideology. Our belief values the individual and seeks to enable him/her to enjoy their lives, and accept others with different religious beliefs. The Muslim religion has the individual follow the dictates of their Iman or tribal Leader. The Koran is their Bible, and it dictates the laws which govern man's behavior. Women are kept under strict rules which forbid immodesty, and as a chattel of their husband without rights as an individual, The radical element preach hatred of the non-believer of Allah, and offer the choice of conversion to belief in Allah; or pay an exorbitant Tax, and are permitted to work only in menial positions; or be beheaded. They see their life's pleasure not in this world, but in heavenly world after one's death. Killing oneself, while killing a non-believer (Jew) brings the greatest pleasures in Heaven. Thus, life is not valued except to fulfill one's duty to Allah.
Terrorism of non-believers is accepted as a means to gain their goals. Suicide Bombers, Jhadists, are lauded as Martyrs, and their families are given money to compensate for the loss of a family member.
Americans are unable to adjust to such an ideology, and thereby overlook labeling their acts as expressing hatred and criminal. Trying to change such behavior with talk is fruitless, and only a united condemnation with economic retaliation or military action may bring change. It may not be politically correct, but it may become necessary.

(19)
Nelson,
January 4, 2010 12:02 AM

National Securtity

It is a pity that all countries think in terms of national security only. We are faced with a global threat by a large group of people whose only aim is to eradicate all religions and force the peoples of this world to follow Islam. It is, therefore, important that the security and intelligence services of all non Islamic nations share vital information to eradicate the creature of death and destruction. This is not happening because the Islamist have succeeded in dividing the non Islamic by using fear and coercion or simply appealing to the politically correct to spare Islamist from being harassed or racially profiled. A unified response is required to curb Islamic radicalism that will not stop death and destruction until it is itself destroyed.

(18)
Beverly Kurtin,
January 3, 2010 11:06 PM

Unless we learn from the past...

As anon said on 12.31.09, saying radical Islam is like saying radical Nazism. Most Americans do not understand how "Islam" functions. The time for political correctness is OVER, but our judges at SCOTUS don't understand that. Instead of checking all people, it is time that we profiled all Muslims who wear their head coverings and veils. Distorting the word Islam to mean peace makes as much sense as saying good is bad or other "New Speak." (See the book 1984.) Muslim children (males) run amok while their parents ignore their heinous behavior because one does not "correct male children." They are spoiled rotten from birth and grow up feeling that they have the right to do whatever they want to do. I once was assaulted by a Muslim woman for telling her brat to stop hitting my wheelchair. She screamed at me "YOU DO NOT CORRECT A MALE CHILD!" She slapped me and was astounded that she was arrested for battery and injury to a disabled elderly person. In Texas you cannot get away with doing that. She is still serving time for that needless attack. We must start protecting our way of life unless we too want to live in squalor and dress in rags. Do I hate Muslims? No. I simply distrust all of them because they have no respect for this life nor our way of living. They are already taking political offices; how long before the shooting war comes to our shores?

(17)
Soggybottom,
January 3, 2010 10:34 PM

Just mis guided

The President of the United States does not believe that there is a war on terrorism within the US. I myself would stand in front an x ray machine just to feel safe from would be bombers!

(16)
Rachel,
January 3, 2010 8:37 PM

"Never Again" should mean non-discrimination

I'm disgusted by all those commenting who think racial and religious profiling is a good idea. Double-checking someone whose behavior is strange (no checked luggage on an international filght, for instance) makes sense. Profiling everyone who seems to be Arab or Muslim does not. Let's remember that the bomber's own father reported him to U.S. authorities -- this man is at least a worried father and perhaps even a genuine hero; would you want him strip-searched and sent to Guantanamo because of his name and religion????
The Holocaust did not begin with the gas chambers. It began with laws to restrict the movement and influence of Jews, Gypsies, communists, and others whom the Nazi state considered a threat to Germany. I pray that we Americans are better than this.

(15)
Anonymous,
January 3, 2010 5:55 PM

Obama inherited Bush's problems

Bush was not a good president and I don't understand Americans who condemn Pres. Obama who hasn't really gotten his feet wet yet. He inherited a terrible mess.
As for Bush doing a better job to prevent terrorism (no. 7) wasn't Bush the president in charge during 9/11.

(14)
Mike,
January 3, 2010 4:39 PM

From shoes to underwear to ?

First off, this terrorist should be executed, immediately as an example of what will happen to future followers.
The west has been far too easy on those that are captured, and those terrorists have already accepted death, so ablige them !
Secondly and as uncofortable as this will be to think of,
the west ( and Europe ) need to seriously look at the next
step in the terrorists evolution, and that is the one packing an internal bomb, be it male or female! Modesty aside, their
HAS to be an acceleration of installing the whole body scanners, even it it means two per airport, women pass through one, men through another. It can be guarranteed that it only be a matter of time before the terrorists employ such a weapon,and to be sure there are many volunteers.

(13)
Gary Katz,
January 3, 2010 4:35 PM

Don't just blame Obama

JanSuzanne,
A little history lesson: when Iranians held Americans hostage , Carter twiddled and twaddled, and eventually approved a rescue plan that was terribly planned and went horribly wrong. Under Reagan, hundreds of Marines were murdered in their barracks in Beirut, and our response was to leave. In Somalia, terrorists attacked our soldiers who were there to try to stabilize their country (Clinton's watch). Also, under Clinton, our embassies in Africa were bombed and the World Trade Center was attacked for the first time. Our response was quite tepid. Under Bush, who you think made us such a hard target, 9-11 occurred. I'm sure I've missed many more examples. In an open society like ours, terrorism is almost impossible to completely stop, more so with a reactive policy like we see at our airports. Advance intelligence is a big key to success. Under Obama, numerous arrests have been made before the terrorists could strike. So he deserves some praise too. We definitely need to change our airport procedures so we're not going through futile gestures like having my kids remove their shoes, or closely examining my toothpaste to make sure it's not an ounce too large. El Al has had great success screening passengers and focusing its scrutiny where the threats really lie rather than worrying about being politically correct.

(12)
b kaman,
January 3, 2010 4:31 PM

Jeff Kacoby is 100% right on!! The safest airport in the world is Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel..Why--profiling---eye contact and trained interviewers with every single passenger before they check in!!

(11)
Z,
January 3, 2010 4:01 PM

Odd Disconnect

The author seems to be oddly disconnected from certain aspects of reality. He states the obvious, that the fanatics of Al Quaeda and other Radical Islamists continue to be a mortal threat. No one has ever disputed that. He raises a straw man in Napolitano's poorly worded but out of context remarks and then ignores that so many policies enacted in this decade made us less safe or had no effect: from tragically fighting the wrong war in Iraq which diverted attention, lives, and resources from the real threat, to security measures that were mostly for show (so many at Guantanomo never were threats in any way), to ineffective bureaucratic bungling that continues even after all the "reforms" of the 2000s...and on and on, to insufficient attention to the true havens of terrorism in Yemen and Afghanisan etc... Did the last administration really make us safer or did they use the real threats of terrorism as a weapon of fear for their own political objectives? The answer is a little bit of both. I am somewhat heartened by Obama's quick actions but I fear that the Homeland Security bureaucracy knows no party and will continue to be sclerotic and bungling. I also wonder whether a surge in Afghanistan really makes us safer. I hope it does but I have my doubts. But the fake issue of 9/12 vs. 9/10 is too often used as a wedge against one's political enemies and is rarely used to foster intelligent debate or enact effective, tough and defensible policies. Fred Barnes, whom the author quotes, is a long time purveyor of this nonsense. At the end of the day, it is about making America safer, not settling old political scores.

(10)
ruth,
January 3, 2010 3:37 PM

when will it ever end

Terrorism is an evil and the deaths of innocents in this way, is the result of thinking about life, about people, in ways that are totally distorted. Yes, the need to do something, to stop this kind of fearsome secret hatred is palpable, and yes, it seems the only option is to act.
It's a deep and ongoing dilemma. Many people incarcerated at Guantanamo were total innocents, and they had no access to justice. We know this. Was this not in itself an act of terrorism. And if you, the author, had been one of those people, snatched into the jaws of a story you simply didn't write, how would you feel, to be so inside the terror of bars, and being barred from seeing those you loved and in continuing your life.
Sadly, life is uni dimensional in it's one ness, and the way to achieve unity is not always clear. And so I say, there has to be another way, and that is, when meting out apparent justice, think deeply about those who are innocents in all this, and how we plan to deal with them, and protect them also.

(9)
Seun,
January 1, 2010 7:26 AM

its a big challenge

The war against radical folks as mutallab should be dealt with from the root as the author suggested that rather intercepting dangerous thing, dangerous people should be intercepted.

(8)
cs,
January 1, 2010 3:59 AM

Hear, hear.

(7)
JanSuzanne,
January 1, 2010 3:10 AM

Will we need another 9/11 to get true

Obama and his Czars, with their Sept 10 mentality, have made us a weaker nation and a much easier target than under Bush. As much as flight 253 should refocus our Homeland Security on our how vulnerable we really are, we actually see the administration trying to disassociate themselves from what might be considered "terror on their watch". I find Napolitano's "spin" of the events just to save face, and Obama's reading his unemotional speech about an "alleged terrorist" to be frightful. It seems like they got away easily and this will not make too much of a dent in their thinking. What we may actually need is another horrific event like 9/11 for this administration to finally admit that we are battling a tribal civilization with global terrorists bent on eliminating our civilization.

(6)
Anonymous,
December 31, 2009 10:43 PM

always sleeping

It's ashame that we as a people seem to think that 9/11 happened in some land far far away. I believe that we sleep more than we should when it comes to national security. Of course we are not to use ethnic profiling because we might hurt someones feelings. Well feelings be damned. I'm quite sure that those who are complaining about using full body scans wouldn't feel that way if it were to stop someone from getting on their plane and blowing it to kingdom come. My son is in the army and I'm always concerned about terrorist attacks after all he had been stationed at Fort Hood, and if they can get in there then they can get in anywhere. We must as a nation and a people be diligent in our national security. The present administration seems to want to sweep this under a rug or have so many commitee's drawn up on it that they forget the subject of what they are suppose to be considering. We are our own worst enemy.

(5)
Matayman,
December 31, 2009 8:59 PM

Jacoby Nails It - Looking fordangerous things is stupid, looking for dangerous people is smart

I can't believe someone -- anyone -- would be allowed to board a plane in Tel Aviv who:
1.Bought a one-way ticket for cash
2.Carried no checked luggage, and
3.Had an Arabic name.
Wouldn't this information be available through the ticketing desk? Why do we insist on being stupid?
"US airport security remains obstinately reactive -- focused on intercepting dangerous things, instead of intercepting dangerous people. Unwilling to incorporate ethnic and religious profiling in our air-travel security procedures, we have saddled ourselves with a mediocre security system that inconveniences everyone while protecting no one."

(4)
David,
December 31, 2009 8:47 PM

Sadly its our own mispocha that is against the Patriot Act and supports the ACLU

Sometimes you have to wonder if the Jewish community gets it. We said after the Holcaust NEVER AGAIN but we some in the Jewish community are too much in to Political correctness that they are blind to a holocaust occuring again. The world including some in the US are turning against Jews and Israel. Its pretty evident that Obama already has written off Israel. Willing to sacrafice it for his Muslim brothers.
But Yet the Jewish community is lock step with the Democrats and the Obama administration. Thank goodness for the 20% of us that are conservative and understand that we need to fight for our freedom instead of being sheep led around by the democrats who want to turn America into a Socialist country.
My hope for 2010 is that many in the Jewish community will wake up and realize that NEVER AGAIN is happening today. Look at Germany 1928 to 1938 and you will see the compairison to our American society. The Jewish community took the positon that lay low and everything will be ok. Its not ok and do you want to risk another wake up call like the Holocaust.
Sorry for ranting.
A concerned American Jew.

(3)
elisheva,
December 31, 2009 7:53 PM

no such thing as radical Islam

Islam is a religion based and fueled by anger and hate. This is written in th Koran and is pervasive in the Moslem culture. Ask any Jew or religious minority from an Islamic country and they will concur. This religion has NOT been hi-jacked- this is the religion and they are at war with the entire infidel world.

(2)
Anonymous,
December 31, 2009 5:41 PM

Thank you anon yet also know

Terrorism is too alive & well between Jewish people who do not agree with one another. The inner fragmentation is what takes down a people. If we are on the same baseball league, we do not have to be on the exact same "team," for then we have crossed a line into the exact place that is causing our oppression.

(1)
anon,
December 31, 2009 10:46 AM

The war is far from over as long as we continue with the delusion of "radical" Islam. It is like saying "radical" Nazism

I'm told that it's a mitzvah to become intoxicated on Purim. This puzzles me, because to my understanding, it is not considered a good thing to become intoxicated, period.

One of the characteristics of the at-risk youth is their use of drugs, including alcohol. In my experience, getting drunk doesn't reveal secrets. It makes people act stupid and irresponsible, doing things they would never do if they were sober. Also, I know a lot about the horrible health effects of abusing alcohol, because I work at a research center that focuses on addiction and substance abuse.

Also, I am an alcoholic, which means that if I drink, very bad things happen. I have not had a drink in 22 years, and I have no intention of starting now. Surely there must be instances where a person is excused from the obligation to drink. I don't see how Judaism could ever promote the idea of getting drunk. It just doesn't seem right.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Putting aside for a moment all the spiritual and philosophical reasons for getting drunk on Purim, this remains an issue of common sense. Of course, teenagers should be warned of the dangers of acute alcohol ingestion. Of course, nobody should drink and drive. Of course, nobody should become so drunk to the point of negligence in performing mitzvot. And of course, a recovering alcoholic should not partake of alcohol on Purim.

Indeed, the Code of Jewish Law explicitly says that if one suspects the drinking may affect him negatively, then he should NOT drink.

Getting drunk on Purim is actually one of the most difficult mitzvot to do correctly. A person should only drink if it will lead to positive spiritual results - e.g. under the loosening affect of the alcohol, greater awareness will surface of the love for God and Torah found deep in the heart. (Perhaps if we were on a higher spiritual level, we wouldn't need to get drunk!)

Yet the Talmud still speaks of an obligation on Purim of "not knowing the difference between Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman." How then should a person who doesn't drink get the point of “not knowing”? Simple - just go to sleep! (Rama - OC 695:2)

All this applies to individuals. But the question remains - does drinking on Purim adversely affect the collective social health of the Jewish community?

The aversion to alcoholism is engrained into Jewish consciousness from a number of Biblical and Talmudic sources. There are the rebuking words of prophets - Isaiah 28:1, Hosea 3:1 with Rashi, and Amos 6:6, and the Zohar says that "The wicked stray after wine" (Midrash Ne'alam Parshat Vayera).

It is well known that the rate of alcoholism among Jews has historically been very low. Numerous medical, psychological and sociological studies have confirmed this. The connection between Judaism and sobriety is so evident, that the following conversation is reported by Lawrence Kelemen in "Permission to Receive":

When Dr. Mark Keller, editor of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, commented that "practically all Jews do drink, and yet all the world knows that Jews hardly ever become alcoholics," his colleague, Dr. Howard Haggard, director of Yale's Laboratory of Applied Physiology, jokingly proposed converting alcoholics to the Jewish religion in order to immerse them in a culture with healthy attitudes toward drinking!

Perhaps we could suggest that it is precisely because of the use of alcohol in traditional ceremonies (Kiddush, Bris, Purim, etc.), that Jews experience such low rates of alcoholism. This ceremonial usage may actually act like an inoculation - i.e. injecting a safe amount that keeps the disease away.

Of course, as we said earlier, all this needs to be monitored with good common sense. Yet in my personal experience - having been in the company of Torah scholars who were totally drunk on Purim - they acted with extreme gentleness and joy. Amid the Jewish songs and beautiful words of Torah, every year the event is, for me, very special.

Adar 12 marks the dedication of Herod's renovations on the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 11 BCE. Herod was king of Judea in the first century BCE who constructed grand projects like the fortresses at Masada and Herodium, the city of Caesarea, and fortifications around the old city of Jerusalem. The most ambitious of Herod's projects was the re-building of the Temple, which was in disrepair after standing over 300 years. Herod's renovations included a huge man-made platform that remains today the largest man-made platform in the world. It took 10,000 men 10 years just to build the retaining walls around the Temple Mount; the Western Wall that we know today is part of that retaining wall. The Temple itself was a phenomenal site, covered in gold and marble. As the Talmud says, "He who has not seen Herod's building, has never in his life seen a truly grand building."

Some people gauge the value of themselves by what they own. But in reality, the entire concept of ownership of possessions is based on an illusion. When you obtain a material object, it does not become part of you. Ownership is merely your right to use specific objects whenever you wish.

How unfortunate is the person who has an ambition to cleave to something impossible to cleave to! Such a person will not obtain what he desires and will experience suffering.

Fortunate is the person whose ambition it is to acquire personal growth that is independent of external factors. Such a person will lead a happy and rewarding life.

With exercising patience you could have saved yourself 400 zuzim (Berachos 20a).

This Talmudic proverb arose from a case where someone was fined 400 zuzim because he acted in undue haste and insulted some one.

I was once pulling into a parking lot. Since I was a bit late for an important appointment, I was terribly annoyed that the lead car in the procession was creeping at a snail's pace. The driver immediately in front of me was showing his impatience by sounding his horn. In my aggravation, I wanted to join him, but I saw no real purpose in adding to the cacophony.

When the lead driver finally pulled into a parking space, I saw a wheelchair symbol on his rear license plate. He was handicapped and was obviously in need of the nearest parking space. I felt bad that I had harbored such hostile feelings about him, but was gratified that I had not sounded my horn, because then I would really have felt guilty for my lack of consideration.

This incident has helped me to delay my reactions to other frustrating situations until I have more time to evaluate all the circumstances. My motives do not stem from lofty principles, but from my desire to avoid having to feel guilt and remorse for having been foolish or inconsiderate.

Today I shall...

try to withhold impulsive reaction, bearing in mind that a hasty act performed without full knowledge of all the circumstances may cause me much distress.

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